Horseshoe shaping apparatus

ABSTRACT

A device for shaping prefabricated horseshoes to fit a horse&#39;&#39;s foot comprises a base, a toe clamp attached to the base for holding the shoe in place, and bending elements eccentrically mountable in the base on the inside and outside of the shoe.

United States Patent Dawson 5] Apr. 1, 1975 [54] HORSESHOE SHAPINGAPPARATUS 572,870 1241896 Crow 6l4,527 ll 1898 Allwood 2 [76] Inventor:wllllam Dawsml, 1888 Catalpa 960,910 6/1910 Hazen 72/519 Trall, Vegas,89108 l,269,8l3 6/1918 Hindley 59/56 [22] Filed, AP 15 1974 3,400,5329/1968 Smith 59/36 [2]] Appl- N04 460,761 Primary E.\'aminerC. W. LanhamAssistant Examiner-Gene P. Crosby 52 us. (:1 59/56, 59/61, 72/319,Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Edward J. Quirk 72/458 [51] hit. Cl. B21k 15/02ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 59/56, 36, 52, 54, 56, I

59 0 1 4 70 2; 72 5 79 3 297 A devlce for shapmg prefabrlcatedhorseshoes to f1t a 310, 319, 218 5 horses foot comprises a base, a toeclamp attached to the base for holding the shoe in place, and bendingel- 5 References Cited ements eccentrically mountable in the base on thein- UNITED STATES PATENTS side and outside of the shoe.

306,285 10/1884 Ri by 59/56 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 6 3 l 26 l4 l2 832 l Q 151111111!!!" WK l HORSESHOE SHAPING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION Many types of apparatus for the manufacture of horseshoes frombar stock are well-known and are used for the rapid manufacture ofdifferent standard sizes of shoes. Most of these machines involvedevices for bending a straightpiece of steel bar around a fixed die. Forexample, Hindley et al., US. Pat. No. 1,269,813, issued June 18, 1918,shows a machine having a springmounted sawtooth clamp for holding oneend of heated bar stock to a horseshoe-shaped die, and a manuallyoperated roller which urges against the outside of the steel bar as theroller is turned around the periphery of the die, thereby conforming thebar to the shape of the die. Similar devices for bending a steel bararound a horseshoe-shaped die are shown in Crow, US. Pat. No. 572,870,issued Dec. 8, 1896, and Barton, US. Pat. No. 163,841, issued June 1,1875.

A more modern apparatus is shown in Smith, US. Pat. No. 3,400,532,issued Sept. 10, 1968, wherein the die for shaping the bar stock ismounted on a track. The die is moved along the track past a series offorming rollers which bend the bar to the elliptical shape of the die.All of these machines described in the art have as their purpose themanufacture of a reproducible, uniform-sized horseshoe.

As shown in the art, the manufacture of horseshoes of standard shapesand sizes is a reasonably simply task. Fitting the standard shoe to thehorses hoof is the job of the farrier, and is a more difficult andtimeconsuming art. Because of growth of the horses foot, the old shoesmust be removed every 4-6 weeks and refitted to the foot; in general,the old shoes must be replaced every two or three refittings because ofwear. After the old shoe is removed, the farrier trims the inside partof the bottom of the foot with a knife, and clips the edges of the footwith hoof clippers and smoothes the bottom of the foot with a hoof rasp.An excellent summary of the proper care of horses feet, including thebest methods of preparing a horses foot for shoeing and the best knownmethods of fitting the shoe to the foot, is found in a booklet entitledHorseslwing and Hoof Care, published by The Western Horseman, ColoradoSprings, Colorado, 1960.

After preparing the hoof for shoeing, if a new shoe is needed, thefarrier selects a shoe of the proper style, size, and weight. He thenmust fit the shoe to the horse's foot. For a proper fit of a normalshoe, the outer edge of the shoe should closely follow the outline ofthe trimmed hoof at the toe to the bend of the quarter, or midsection ofthe foot. From this point back to the rear of the shoe, the shoe shouldbecome gradually wider than the foot, extending laterally a maximum ofabout one-eighth inch beyond the foot wall at the rear of the heel ofthe shoe. This extension allows for growth of the hoof, which spreadslaterally at the heel, and provides room for expansion of the hoof whenweight is placed on the foot.

Because the contour of the horses foot rarely conforms to the standardshoe shape, the shoe must be reshaped to fit the foot. After selectingthe proper shoe, the farrier places the shoe adjacent to the foot to seewhere changes must be made in the shape of the shoe. He then carries theshoe to an anvil, and hammers the shoe until the shape is modified. Hethen returns to the horse and again places the shoe adjacent to the footto see if further changes are needed. The reshaping/fitting process isrepeated until the proper fit is obtained. It is not uncommon for afarrier to make 25-50 trips from the horse to the anvil and back againbefore the correct shoe fit is obtained. Ultimately, most fittings are acompromise, being finished by filing the shoe to fit the foot, or thefoot to fit the shoe. Typically, fitting one shoe to a horses footrequires about 15 minutes, and also necessitates multiple lifting of thehorses foot, resulting in some danger to the farrier of being kicked bya recalcitrant horse. Repeated hammering of the metal weakens the shoe,and often creates a torque in one of the branches of the shoe, causing atwisting of the metal which is difficult to completely remove by furtherhammering. This problem is particularly acute with Nature Plates, whichare a shoe design wherein the angle and contour of the hoof arecontinued to the shoe. The shoe is thin and lighweight, and is alsoslightly concave on the inside of the bottom, giving the shoe a tendencyto flex when hammered.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method andapparatus for shaping horseshoes to fit a horses foot quickly andwithout protracted hammermg.

Another object is to provide a method of contouring a horseshoe to aparticular foot without repeated lifting of the horses foot.

Another object is to provide an inexpensive apparatus which is easilyadjustable to hold any size or style of horseshoe, and which can shapethe shoe to fit any horses foot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides an apparatus for shapinghorseshoes to fit a horses foot comprising a solid base member, a toeclamp for holding the shoe in a fixed position relative to the base, andeccentrically mounted bending elements mountable in the base such thatthe bending elements can simultaneously provide bending forces to theinside and outside of one branch of the horseshoe. In operation, atracing is made of the horses hoof prior to shoeing, and the tracing isplaced on the bending apparatus immediately below where the shoe will beclamped in place. The shoe is then fixed to the base, and the bendingelements are placed in the base in the suitable location to make thedesired adjustments to conform the shoe to the tracing. The inner andouter bending elements are then cooperatively operated to make theappropriate adjustments. With a little practice, the complete operationof shaping the shoe to the foot can be completed in less than fiveminutes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thebending apparatus with a horseshoe and bending elements in place.

FIG. 2 shows a side and top view of one of the bending elements.

FIG. 3 is a view of a portion of the apparatus showing normal operationof the bending elements on a horseshoe branch.

FIG. 4 is a section view showing details of the clamp locking adjustmentmechanism.

FIG. 5 shows details of the fixed and movable jaws of the toe clamp.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the apparatus with the foot tracing inplace, and a sectioned view of the toe clamp locking mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, the basemember 1 of the horseshoe shaping apparatus comprises a rigid platformfabricated from seven-eighths inch thick hot-rolled steel, and isapproximately 10 inches square. Horseshoe 2 is shown clamped in place bytoe clamps 3 and 4. Front clamp 3 has a fixed position, whereas rearclamp 4 is slidably mounted along track 5 (as shown in FIG. 6), to urgeagainst the inside of the toe portion of the shoe and lock the shoe intoplace. Rear clamp 4 is operated by locking mechanism 6, which is seen inFIGS. 1 and 6. The locking mechanism is operated manually by lever 7which, when moved backward from the position shown in FIG. 1, cinchesthe movable jaw 4 of the shoe clamp firmly into place against the shoe.

A plurality of holes are drilled through the base plate around theperiphery of the shoe to receive the dowels of bending devices 11 and12. The holes labelled 8 are located on the outside of the shoe when itis locked in place and are used for making narrowing bends of the shoe,whereas those labelled 9 are on the inside of the shoe and are used tomake widening bends of the shoe. In FIG. 1, bending elements 11 and 12are both located in holes 8 outside the shoe, and would be operated tonarrow the width of the shoe by rotating both handles inwardly.

The bending elements are shown in detail in FIG. 2. Bending element 11consists of a central base element 15 adapted to receive threaded handle13, and two opposing concentrically mounted bending discs 16 and 17.Dowel 10 is fixably mounted through the bending discs and base element,extending axially but eccentrically from the discs. The eccentricpositioning of the dowel relative to the bending disc center isimportant for providing bending force to the shoe when the dowel isinserted in one of the receiving holes and the bending element isrotated. The dowel is slidably mounted in the holes and the bendingelement can be easily rotated by hand. The bending element is reversiblein that either bending disc 16 of smaller diameter or disc 17, of largerdiameter, may be used simply by turning the element over and insertingthe other end of dowel 10 into the apropriate hole in the base. Thethickness of discs 16 and 17 is slightly greater than the thickness of ahorseshoe, such that base element 15 will not contact the horseshoeduring operation. The diameter of the base element is slightly greaterthan that of either bending disc, thereby helping to confine the shoeduring bending, and to resist any twisting or raising of the shoe.Selection of the proper disc and proper hole around the periphery of theshoe depends on the type and severity of the bend required and is askill easily learned with a little practice.

As illustrated in the drawings, the bending element dowels are round,and fit in round holes in the base. Many modifications are possible,however; for example, the dowels and holes could be square incrosssection, and the bending element could have a built in swivelsimilar to a rachet-operated wrench.

The horseshoe is locked into place prior to bending with clamp members 3and 4 which are shown in detail in FIG. 5. Fixed jaw 3 can be insertedin place by dropping the jaw into orifice 18 (shown in FIG. 6) andsliding the jaw forward over draw bar 20 toward the locking mechanism 6.The under surface 19 of the jaw rests on the upper surface of base 1when the jaw is in place. The upper surface of lip 21 slides along theunder surface of track 5, thereby preventing upward movement of the jawwhen it is in operating position. The front surface 22 of the jaw isslightly concave in shape to adapt to the shape of the outside surfaceof the horseshoe toe, and has a knurled surface to prevent slippage ofthe shoe during bending. A slit 23 in the jaw is provided to allow thedrawbar 20 to pass through the jaw without engaging it.

Movable jaw 4 is the counterpart to jaw 3, and urges against the insidesurface of the horseshoe toe. After the fixed jaw is in place, withlocking mechanism 6 in the unlocked position, extending the drawbar tothe front of orifice 18, the movable jaw is placed in the orifice withconvex knurled surface 41 opposing surface 22. The catch 24 on drawbar20 then engages the rear of walls 25 in the jaw, enabling the movablejaw to be drawn back toward the fixed jaw by operation of lockingmechanism 6. The horseshoe is placed on base 1 with the jaws open, andis clamped in place by pushing the handle 7 on the locking mechanismaway from the jaws, thereby moving the jaw 4 backward until the toe ofthe shoe is firmly locked in place between jaws 3 and 4. Thumbscrew 26is used to adjust the locked position of the movable jaw, which willdepend upon the width of the horseshoe at the toe. Ledges 26 and 27 atthe top of the knurled surface prevent the shoe from raising up from thejaws when bending force is being applied to the shoe. Jaws 3 and 4,being easily removable, can be quickly replaced with other pairs of jawsof differing sizes to handle different shoe sizes and styles.

The clamp locking system, best shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, comprises thedrawbar catch 24, which engages the movable jaw, and the drawbar 20which is pivotally mounted at pin 27 to adjustable link 28. Adjustablelink block 29 is slidably mounted inside adjustable link 28 on screwmechanism 30, with screw threads on the inside of the adjustable linkblock engaging threads on screw 30. Dowel bar 31, which is fixed bypress fitting into bearing 32 and 33, is inserted through orifice 34 inthe adjustable link block and can freely rotate in said orifice. Thedowel bar is eccentrically mounted in the bearings as best shown inphantom in FIGS. 4 and 6.

The bearing surfaces and bearing races are made from hardened hot rolledsteel, and machined such that a smooth fit is obtained which does notrequire lubrication after initial application of a dry poweredmolybdenum lubricant to the surfaces. Accordingly, as thumbscrew 26 isturned, the adjustable link/drawbar assembly moves relative to base 1,thus adjusting the locked position of the movable jaw. The lockingassembly and bearings are held in place by fixed braces 39 and 40 whichare fastened to base 1 by bolts or welds; these braces are fixed and donot move as the bearings are rotated. As handle 7 is pushed backwardfrom the base, bearings 32 and 33 rotate with the handle. Dowel bar 31follows a semicircular are caused by its eccentric mounting, lifting andpulling back the adjustable link and adjustable link block, which pivotabout pin 27, and accordingly drawing back the drawbar to lock the jaws.The proper locked position of the movable jaw can then be adjusted withthumbscrew 26.

Because of the stresses placed on a number of the components of thebending apparatus, it is important that the apparatus be constructed ofproperly resistant materials. The base is made from hot-rolled hardenedsteel or other suitable hard metal; fabrication from a softer materialmay result in stretching of the holes in the plate after continued use.Drawbar is also subjected to substantial tensile stress, and may be madefrom a very hard material such as aluminum bronze or 4140 steel.

In general, when shaping a horseshoe on the apparatus of the invention,it is desirable to have a print of the shape of the shoe at hand. In apreferred method of using the machine, a tracing is first made of thehorses hoof after the hoof has been prepared for shoeing. The tracingcan be made simply by placing the foot on a solid surface having a pieceof paper, cardboard, plastic, or other material which can be easilymarked with an instrument such as a pen or pencil, and moving theinstrument about the outside periphery of the foot. The outline of thefoot is then transferred to the surface of the base by any of a numberof means. For example, the paper can be cut to the shape of the outlineand taped to the base, or the image can be transferred to the base bymeans of carbon paper, or by tracing the edge of the cut outline with afelt pen. If the paper or plastic having the outline of the hoof isfixed to the base, it is important that the holes 8 and 9 not becovered, since the holes must be open to receive the bending elements.

When the outline of the hoof is transferred to the base, it is importantthat the outline be correctly placed on the base to coincide with theperiphery of the shoe. The image should be placed with the fixed toeclamp jaw in place, and the toe of the image should fit the curve of thefixed jaw as shown in FIG. 6. Therefore, when the shoe is in place abovethe outline, it will be quite simple to determine what type and degreeof bends must be made in the shoe in order to conform to the hoofoutline. In FIG. 6, the toe portion of hoof outline 35, which has beentraced on the satin finish surface of base 2 with a felt-tip pen,conforms to the knurled surface of fixed jaw 3.

After the hoof outline image is placed on the plate, the moveable jaw isinserted, and the horseshoe is clamped in place as shown in FIG. 1. Theoperator can then easily see what changes in the shape of the shoe arenecessary, and can position bending elements 11 and 12 in theappropriate holes for operation. FIG. 3 shows operation of the bendingdevices to bend shoe 2 to conform to outline 35.

When placing the hoof outline and the shoe on the bending apparatus, itis of course essential that the left and right branches of the shoecoincide with the left and right sides, respectively, of the hoofoutline. Accordingly, if the outline of the hoof is made while the horseis standing, it will be necessary to invert the outline prior to placingit on the base of the forming device if the top side of the shoe (i.e.,the side which is in contact with the ground when in place on the horseshoof) is facing upward when clamped in the bending apparatus. Goodresults have been obtained by making the hoof tracing with a pen orpencil on a piece of transparent plastic sheet, which can then beinverted on the machine but still visible from above.

Although in the preferred embodiment disclosed herein specific types oflocking devices and bending mechanisms have been described, manymodifications may be made within the scope of the invention. Forexample, any type of clamping device which will hold the shoe in placewhile the bending elements exert force on the shoe would be operable. Inaddition, the bending elements need not be cam-operated and movable fromone hole to another on the base, but may be trackmounted and movablecontinuously around the periphery of the shoe. It is essential howeverthat the elements be locatable at a plurality of locations around theshoe.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for bending a prefabricated horseshoe to conform to thecontour of a horse s hoof comprising:

a rigid base,

holding means to mount a horseshoe in a fixed position relative to saidbase, and

bending means movable to a plurality of points around the inner andouter periphery of the horseshoe to exert bending force on thehorseshoe.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bending means comprises at leasttwo bending elements whereby bending forces can be simultaneouslyapplied to at least two points around the peripheral surface of thehorseshoe.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base contains a plurality ofmeans for removably mounting the bending means, and the bending meanscomprises at least one manually operated cam which urges against theperiphery of the horseshoe during a portion of its rotation.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bending means comprises a camhaving a mounting pin extending perpendicularly from the cam surface anda radially extending handle, and the rigid base contains a plurality ofreceiving means for the mounting pin.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the holding means comprises a clamphaving two removable jaws, movable with respect to each other and havingopposing concave and convex holding surfaces adapted to receive the toeportion of a horseshoe.

6. A method of shaping a prefabricated horseshoe to fit the hoof of ahorse which comprises preparing an outline of the hoof to be shod,clamping the shoe to be shaped in a fixed position relative to theoutline, and applying sufficient bending force to the shoe to conformthe outer periphery of the shoe to the shape of the outline.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein bending forces are appliedsimultaneously to the inside and outside peripheries of the shoe.

1. Apparatus for bending a prefabricated horseshoe to conform to thecontour of a horse''s hoof comprising: a rigid base, holding means tomount a horseshoe in a fixed position relative to said base, and bendingmeans movable to a plurality of points around the inner and outerperiphery of the horseshoe to exert bending force on the horseshoe. 2.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bending means comprises at leasttwo bending elements whereby bending forces can be simultaneouslyapplied to at least two points around the peripheral surface of thehorseshoe.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base contains aplurality of means for removably mounting the bending means, and thebending means comprises at least one manually operated cam which urgesagainst the periphery of the horseshoe during a portion of its rotation.4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bending means comprises a camhaving a mounting pin extending perpendicularly from the cam surface anda radially extending handle, and the rigid base contains a plurality ofreceiving means for the mounting pin.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the holding means comprises a clamp having two removable jaws,movable with respect to each other and having opposing concave andconvex holding surfaces adapted to receive the toe portion of ahorseshoe.
 6. A method of shaping a prefabricated horseshoe to fit thehoof of a horse which comprises preparing an outline of the hoof to beshod, clamping the shoe to be shaped in a fixed position relative to theoutline, and applying sufficient bending force to the shoe to conformthe outer periphery of the shoe to the shape of the outline.
 7. Themethod of claim 6 wherein bending forces are applied simultaneously tothe inside and outside peripheries of the shoe.